My portal to peace...

animals

Lots of my friends don’t have dogs because they are messy. And kind of a pain. Almost like having an extra kid. They do know what they are talking about.

Our little Maisy weighs 5 pounds, if that, but she is a lot of work in a little package. She tries to sneak our food if we’re not looking and she has accidents in the house sometimes and one time she ran away. I used to wonder what our lives would be like if we didn’t have her, and thought that maybe our lives would be easier. But then we didn’t have her. And I was devastated.

When she annoys me with her barking, when I’m cleaning up her poop, my mind is consumed with thoughts of the annoying stuff and I forget the important stuff. Like how she can’t wait for me to sit down and watch a tv show or read a book, because then she can curl up on my lap. Sure, she leaves dog hair all over my clothes, but that’s why I have a lint roller.

When I read books aloud to the kids, she perches on the edge of the couch, ears turning this way and that, listening to the story, too.

When I lay on the lounge chair in the sunny backyard, she lounges in the chair next to me and lets the sun soak into her shaky little body.

When it’s cold and rainy, she burrows under the quilt on my lap, and I have a living heating pad for my achy joints.

When anxiety takes over once again and my breaths become short and I just don’t know what to do because I want to tell someone what’s wrong but I can’t find the words, I look into her eyes and I don’t have to say anything at all because her eyes tell me she knows how I’m feeling… and she’s just there for me.

Yep, our Maisy is many things. She is a secret keeper for my kids, a good sport when forced to put on a fashion show in Build-a-Bear clothes. She’s my buddy, my sidekick when Gareth is at work and the kids are at school. She’s called many nicknames–Maisy Daisy and Maisy Moo and Crazy Maisy. She’s a diva dog, a drama queen who fusses and yelps at the slightest mishap. She’s always underfoot and probably thinks that the word “no” is part of her name. She makes us laugh and makes us say “awwww” and appears in many family photos. More than anything, she is my constant comfort, my true, loyal–and furry–best friend.

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The title I'm most proud of is "wife and mom to 3 amazing kids." Other titles: Seattleite, reader, writer, volunteer, DIY-er, outdoor enthusiast, Netflix watcher, thrift shopper, and worrier. Despite being diagnosed with an anxiety/panic disorder, I try my best to live life to the fullest. I also enjoy uncovering the lessons within my life experiences and sharing them with you on this blog.